1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to an outboard motor cowl latching system and, more particularly, to a latching mechanism that provides a detent for securing the latch in a closed position when the outboard motor is subjected to impact loads.
2. Description of the Related Art
Those skilled in the art of outboard motors are familiar with many different types of latching systems that are intended to fasten a removable part of the cowl to the outboard motor structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,984, which issued to Hofmann et al. on Aug. 12, 1980, discloses an automatic locking latch. The latching apparatus catches and locks automatically, but can be released by simply pushing with one hand. Two saw-toothed semi-rigid mating parts are oriented with leading edges and mating teeth facing in a manner so that they interfere slightly when mated. As the parts approach each other, opposing teeth ride on each other and slip past one another until all teeth interlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,194, which issued to Walsh on Sep. 7, 1982, discloses a cowl for an outboard motor. The cowl includes two bottom cowl members attached together by screws which also mount a latch bracket and a hinge member. The latch bracket supports a latch mechanism which, with the hinge member serves to hold a top cowl member in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,396, which issued to Crane et al. on Jul. 15, 1986, discloses a cowl latch for outboard motors. It includes a catch mounted on one of the cowl members. A lever is pivotally attached to the other cowl member and a resilient spring member is pivotally attached to the lever. The lever and spring member act to provide an overcenter action on the lever when the latch is closed. The lever includes a shield to conceal the latch assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,031, which issued to Boda et al. on Jul. 4, 1989, discloses a rotary latch mechanism for securing cowl sections of an outboard motor. The assembly has an upper cowl section and a lower cowl section and includes various features for improving the structural integrity of the cowl assembly and for providing a water resistant seal at the joint between the cowl sections and at various points of entry of cables and other mechanical devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,883, which issued to Slattery on Oct. 24, 1989, discloses a latch assembly for releasably securing cowl sections of an outboard motor. The cowl assembly includes an upper cowl section and a lower cowl section and is provided with an improved latch assembly. The latch assembly incorporates a pivotable hook connected to one of the cowl sections which is engageable with a hook engaging member provided on a catch mechanism connected to the other cowl section.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,194, which issued to Wagner on May 22, 1990, describes an interlock latch assembly for releasably securing cowl sections of an outboard motor. The mechanism is provided for a latch assembly which releasably secures upper and lower cowl sections of an outboard motor. The interlock mechanism is movable between a locking a position and a release position and is normally disposed in its locking position such as by a coil spring. The interlock mechanism is mounted to the latch handle which is pivotally mounted to one of the cowl sections. A hook is interconnected with the latch handle and is engageable with a catch assembly provided on the other of the cowl sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,248, which issued to Daleiden et al. on Jun. 9, 1992, discloses a cam-type latching mechanism for securing cowl sections together. The system comprises a catch assembly located at one end of the cowl assembly and a latch mechanism located at the other end of the assembly. The catch assembly includes a catch block mounted to one of the cowl sections with a catch slot formed in the catch block. A roller member is mounted on the other of the cowl sections for engaging the catch slot. The catch slot is formed so as to provide an end wall against which the roller is maintained when the cowl sections are secured together with the material of the catch block engaging the roller member to prevent relative vertical movement between the cowl sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,884, which issued to Oishi on Nov. 23, 1993, describes a latch for a cowling of an outboard engine. A latch assembly for releasably securing a cowling of a marine propulsion engine comprises a front latch mechanism which is interconnected with at least one rear latch mechanism by a wire cable having a slack adjustor along its length. In a preferred embodiment, a single front latch mechanism and two rear latch mechanisms are linked by the wire cable to an operating lever so that movement of the operating lever causes all of the latches to be disengaged simultaneously.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,236, which issued to Dunham et al. on Aug. 16, 1994, describes a latch mechanism for an outboard motor cowl assembly. The cowling of the outboard motor comprises a first cover member including an outer surface having therein a recess, a second cover member mating with the first member, and a selectively engageable latch mechanism for securing the second member to the first member. The latch mechanism includes a latch handle which is supported by the first member which is movable in a first direction between a flush position wherein the latch handle is in the recess and is flush with the remainder of the outer surface and a non-flush position wherein the latch handle extends from the recess and which is movable in a second direction to engage and disengage the latch mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,777, which issued to Hiraoka on Sep. 8, 1998, describes a latch for outboard motor protective cowling. An assembly is provided for engaging and disengaging an upper cover portion and lower tray portion of a cowling of an outboard engine. The lower tray portion includes a recess in which part of the latching assembly is located. The latching assembly includes a shaft mounted to the lower tray portion. A latch is rotatably secured to the shaft and movable between an engaged and disengaged position. The latch is disposed within the recess when engaged so that it is flush with the exterior of the cowling.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,025, which issued to Isogawa et al. on Jun. 27, 2000, describes a cowling latch for an outboard motor. The outboard motor has an upper cowling having a lower surface and a lower cowling having an upper surface. The cowling latch comprises a first latching member connected to the upper cowling and a second latching member connected to the lower cowling. The second latching member is movable between a first position in which it engages the first latching member for connecting the upper and lower cowlings and a second position in which it does not engage the first latching member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,450, which issued to Walczak et al. on Dec. 16, 2003, discloses an integral cowl latching mechanism for an outboard motor. It comprises a base portion that is formed as an integral part of the cowl structure itself. This integral base portion, which is shaped as one or more bosses, eliminates the need for additional brackets and fasteners to attach the latching mechanism to the cowl structure. The boss portion, which is an integral part of the cowl, is shaped to receive a pivot member and a latch to complete the structure of the latching mechanism. A latch pin, which is attached to another component, is shaped to be received through a hole in the boss portion to allow the latch to captivate the latch pin when the latch is in the latching position. This attaches the two cowl members, or cover members, to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,500, which issued to Gulko et al. on January 31, 2006, discloses a cowl latching mechanism for an outboard motor. A latching system is provided which facilitates the installation of a removable cowl with respect to a stationary cowl structure and allows these components to be locked together as a result of a simple downward movement in a vertical direction of the removable cowl with respect to the stationary structure. Removal of the removable cowl is also facilitated by allowing these components to be disengaged from each other as a result of a rotation of the removable cowl relative to the stationary cowl structure after a manually operable latch is released.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.